wholehearted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wholehearted
Explanation
Something that's wholehearted is completely sincere and genuine, like your wholehearted support of a friend who's running for school president or her wholehearted commitment to running a positive campaign. The adjective wholehearted comes from the idea that you're putting your entire heart into something, with all the feeling and sincerity that implies. Your wholehearted apology for accidentally tripping someone is earnest and heartfelt, and your wholehearted attempt at winning the 50-yard dash is focused and determined. Anything that's done with that kind of commitment is wholehearted.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I'd like to... offer my wholehearted support to his decision. Family must come first," Murray added.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
“Her visits to the nursery, her thoughtful conversations, and her wholehearted engagement brought laughter and insight into every interaction.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026
They’re so wholehearted, so unashamed, so brazenly anti-cool that they’re irresistible.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
There’s no side-eye, no resentment, no “Yankee go home” — just genuine, wholehearted gratitude.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2025
Like an old man with rheumy eyes watching children play, seeing only transience in their shrill elation and their wholehearted commitment to life.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
